Aberlour 10 Year Old Whisky

Review of the Aberlour 10 year old Speyside single malt.

The Aberlour 10 year old is the youngest whiskey that Aberlour offers. A classic Speyside whisky, it’s a highly enjoyable single malt.

Aberlour uses both bourbon and sherry casks in maturing the Aberlour 10 year old. In fact, the Aberlour 10 comes in a couple of different variations. A tall and slender bottle with a grey cap and grey box houses a whisky intended for the French market, whereas a bottle with a black top houses the standard whisky. It also says “sherry finish” on the bottle, but reading small print can be difficult if ordering whisky online. Aberlour prides itself on catering to the French whisky market, who enjoy more of a sherry finish to their whisky. Thus the sherry finish will provide slightly more sherry flavor. From what research I’ve done,only the French market will receive the stronger sherry finished whisky by default, whereas other markets will receive the lighter sherry finish.

The nose of the Aberlour 10 is quite mild, with a gentle mix of butterscotch and sherry. The body of the whisky is quite thin, which makes it quite easily drinkable. To taste, there is a hint of green fruit and honey sweetness, followed by vanilla, all of which disappear quite quickly. My main criticism of the Aberlour 10 is it that while the flavors are light and pleasant, which is fine, they don’t hang around long enough to make you savor the whisky.

The rich amber color of the Aberlour 10 is a pleasant sight, and it is uncolored by caramel additives.

This whisky will certainly suit people who enjoy light, sweet whiskies that are easily drinkable, but those wanting for a bit more punch will want to look elsewhere. It almost feels like it could have done with a little bit more maturation – perhaps this whisky at 12 years old would would be a little more full. What the Aberlour 10 provides is an affordable introduction to Aberlours other whiskies, which are uniformly excellent.